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MIT CSAIL PhD vs. Promising Startup

10 points by gotogeek12 ↗ HN
I am a type of person who loves both academic research and startups. For a long time, it has been my dream to work on deep scientific problems. On the other hand, I am also equally interested in building something tangible for the society. In a perfectly ideal world, I would expect my PhD work to translate into a startup but I know the probability for such a thing is very low. I will probably be 27 ish when I finish my PhD. According to the HN community, what are some of the pros and cons in going to MIT vs. a startup.

7 comments

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arido
It's more likely you'll be doing a startup after 27 then doing a PhD afterl 27. If you think you might be unhappy not having done one of them before you die, then go for the PhD first. There will be plenty of opportunities to start/join a startup later. I've done exactly that and don't regret it any bit.

PS You'll find a PhD is a great way to network with people as well.

vonsydov
what're you working on at csail ?

do a year and then take a leave of absence..

mchannon
It does depend somewhat on where you are now. Second year of grad school? Fresh out of college? Fresh out of high school?

Some people go for that Ph.D. to get a good-paying job in a big institution, typically bumping along a professor's pet project for a few years before they publish a lengthy, painstaking, and never-read-again dissertation. You don't have to go at it that way.

Consider doing both at the same time. A tiny minority of Ph.D. students will drive at something that is both their passion and capable of supporting a great business model. If you have a decent professor (the kind that wants to change the world as opposed to the one that wants slaves) it is possible to go that way.

Alternatively, you could do both at the same time and leave with a Master's or no degree once your startup requires more of your time. I believe the founders of Google followed this approach.

My first startup I did in parallel with graduate school. The two subject matters had zero overlap, and that had its benefits too.

gotogeek12
This is my second year working at a big company. It's good to know that you were able to manage your startup with grad school.
johnhess
It depends on what you're into and exactly what you think your prospects are for each. I'm graduating from a different MIT program in June (SM 16/SM TPP), and I absolutely loved it here. If your experience is anything like mine, you'll meet tons of brilliant, awesome folks (that means you'll always be able to step out into the startup world).

YMMV.

Also, vonsydov had a good idea. I know a lot of MIT programs let you take a 1 year deferment. Maybe you can take a cut at the startup, and if you go belly up, go to school. If you end up a billionaire, buy vonsydov a beer.

blo
There's a great entrepreneurship network at MIT (speaking as an alum and as past lead organizer of some of the clubs there). You could always go and work on your PhD while getting networked into the community there. As you build your network and learn, there's always the possibility of taking leave to found a startup if the right opportunity happens before your thesis is done - happens all the time.